專訪美國麻省大學(xué)副校長Katherine S. Newman：推進(jìn)公立高等教育 我能做的還有更多

彭杏月

于美國各大常青藤大學(xué)任教多年，Katherine最終選擇回歸老牌公立型大學(xué)。她的目標(biāo)很明確——推廣美國公立高等教育，為更多平民學(xué)生謀福祉。

打開Katherine?S.?Newman的CV，赫然入眼的是首頁“哈佛、哥倫比亞、普林斯頓大學(xué)教授”這一類亮閃閃的名銜。然而，雖然任教于美國頂尖的私立學(xué)術(shù)研究機(jī)構(gòu)多年，這些光環(huán)卻并不是Katherine的終極目標(biāo)，推廣美國公立高等教育才是她一直以來的夢想。

作為一名昔日的受益者，Katherine將自己的一切成就都?xì)w功于曾接受的公立高等教育，如今，她希望以回饋者的身份回歸公立大學(xué)，通過推動公立教育的發(fā)展，為年輕一代的平民階層創(chuàng)造更多機(jī)會。加入馬薩諸塞大學(xué)阿默斯特分校（以下簡稱?UMass?Amherst）擔(dān)任教務(wù)長和分管學(xué)術(shù)事物的高級副校長，正是Katherine實(shí)現(xiàn)這一夢想的開端。

切身體會成為動力

為幫助平民學(xué)生投身公立教育

Katherine生于加利福尼亞州的一個(gè)平民家庭，由于父母無力支付高昂的學(xué)費(fèi)，她從小學(xué)起接受的便是美國的公立教育。所幸加州的公立高等教育發(fā)展十分完善，Katherine成功考取了加州大學(xué)圣地亞哥分校，之后她又在加州大學(xué)伯克利分校完成了博士學(xué)位的學(xué)習(xí)，畢業(yè)后，Katherine接連任教于美國多所常春藤院校。

投身高等教育幾十年，Katherine在社會學(xué)領(lǐng)域頗多建樹，如今更已成為美國學(xué)術(shù)界聲名遠(yuǎn)揚(yáng)的教授，但在規(guī)劃下一步的人生發(fā)展時(shí)，Katherine發(fā)覺自己缺失了一些東西。在私立大學(xué)和頂尖學(xué)術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)的從業(yè)經(jīng)歷固然寶貴，可是，推廣公立高等教育的愿望始終縈繞在Katherine心頭?！拔铱释貧w公立高等教育，因?yàn)槲冶旧砭褪枪⒔逃氖芤嬲?，我很想以此為契機(jī)，為下一代的發(fā)展做出貢獻(xiàn)。”

作為一名優(yōu)秀的社會學(xué)者，美國社會的流動性和機(jī)會結(jié)構(gòu)是Katherine十分感興趣的研究領(lǐng)域。她發(fā)現(xiàn)：高等教育是一個(gè)人在社會鏈中取得上升性流動的巨大推動力之一。所謂上升流動，是指人們通過努力得以改變自己本來的狀況，例如提升社會地位、仕途晉升、獲得更高收入等，而高等教育在這個(gè)過程中扮演著至關(guān)重要的角色。而對于處于美國勞動力市場底層人們的就業(yè)情況的關(guān)注，也使Katherine愈發(fā)認(rèn)識到教育的重要性?！安还茉诿绹€是中國，好的發(fā)展機(jī)會往往會流向那些受過良好教育、擁有一技之長的人?！彼颉读魧W(xué)》雜志記者舉例：在60年代，人們單靠在流水線上進(jìn)行體力工作，就足以養(yǎng)家糊口，但如今想要謀得一席發(fā)展，人們必須要受過良好的教育。因此，高等教育體系的構(gòu)建，以及接受高等教育渠道的拓展，對人們?nèi)蘸蟮陌l(fā)展方向起著決定性作用。

在哈佛大學(xué)、哥倫比亞大學(xué)一類的頂尖大學(xué)從事教學(xué)和研究期間，Katherine發(fā)現(xiàn)，這些私立學(xué)校的學(xué)生大多家世顯赫，而公立學(xué)校的大部分學(xué)生則來自平民階層，這讓她意識到：如果說有誰最渴望通過教育來改變自己的命運(yùn)，那一定是這些就讀于公立學(xué)校的學(xué)生們，家世平平的背景讓他們迫切需要改變出身、提升自我?！拔以趯W(xué)校上學(xué)時(shí)也有這樣的感受，所以我知道高等教育對于拓展人生的可能性來說有多么重要?！?/p>

也正是因?yàn)閾碛羞@種切身體會，Katherine立志推進(jìn)公立高等教育的發(fā)展。而在這個(gè)當(dāng)口，UMass?Amherst這所老牌公立名校給了Katherine一個(gè)絕佳的契機(jī)，將她推廣公立高等教育的愿望和提升底層勞動人民就業(yè)機(jī)遇這一學(xué)術(shù)興趣實(shí)現(xiàn)了充分結(jié) 合。

推進(jìn)中美教育交流項(xiàng)目

提供線上優(yōu)質(zhì)課程

加入馬薩諸塞大學(xué)，Katherine看中的不僅是其作為一所一流公立性研究大學(xué)所擁有的卓越度，還有學(xué)校領(lǐng)導(dǎo)對于公立教育的堅(jiān)持?！拔倚蕾pUMass?Amherst的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)團(tuán)隊(duì)，因?yàn)樗麄儗Ｗ⒂诠⒔逃陌l(fā)展，致力于為年輕人的夢想鋪路搭橋?！?/p>

如今，作為UMass?Amherst的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者之一，Katherine計(jì)劃并創(chuàng)立了一系列項(xiàng)目，為來自低收入家庭的學(xué)生提供經(jīng)濟(jì)補(bǔ)助，創(chuàng)造更多學(xué)術(shù)研究的機(jī)會。Katherine了解，對于學(xué)術(shù)質(zhì)量相當(dāng)?shù)乃搅W(xué)校和公立學(xué)校，私立大學(xué)往往向?qū)W生收取的學(xué)費(fèi)比公立大學(xué)要高很多。相比之下，公立大學(xué)長期以來由各州政府資助，所以可以供更多人享受高等教育資源?！耙粋€(gè)學(xué)生在UMass每年的開銷，一共是大約2萬3千美元，而在我以前工作過的約翰·霍普金斯大學(xué)，這一數(shù)字大約是每年6萬2千美元。”

除此之外，Katherine還計(jì)劃加深UMass?Amherst與中國的合作。首先，UMass?Amherst將對接中國的一流大學(xué)，共同設(shè)立合作項(xiàng)目，派遣美國學(xué)生到對方學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)，這些項(xiàng)目可以涉及中國歷史、建筑環(huán)境、農(nóng)業(yè)和科學(xué)等任一領(lǐng)域。同時(shí)，增加中國學(xué)生來Umass?Amherst的交流機(jī)會。Katherine向記者介紹，目前每年有數(shù)百名中國本科學(xué)生來到Umass?Amherst學(xué)習(xí)，研究生數(shù)量也相當(dāng)可觀，其中大部分學(xué)生選擇的是STEM學(xué)科方向的課程。Katherine想獨(dú)辟蹊徑，創(chuàng)辦更多的短期研究生項(xiàng)目，同時(shí)發(fā)展以工程，計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)，經(jīng)濟(jì)，教育，英語等學(xué)科為主的線上授課，以此縮減學(xué)生的留學(xué)費(fèi)用。

此外，Katherine還立志在線上教育方面率先開創(chuàng)中文普通話課程，以減小面對面英文線上授課的語言障礙。同時(shí)，校內(nèi)設(shè)有翻譯中心，專為學(xué)生提供閱讀材料，并輔以同聲翻譯。Katherine希望通過這些舉措，一方面幫助中國學(xué)生克服語言障礙，順利完成學(xué)業(yè)，另一方面也免去了兩年的赴美留學(xué)費(fèi)用，使學(xué)生足不出戶就可享受美國的優(yōu)質(zhì)教育資源。

留學(xué)潮的雙向影響

回國意向與專業(yè)傾向發(fā)生改變

作為一名社會學(xué)家，Katherine對于近年來出現(xiàn)的中美留學(xué)熱潮也有著自己的觀 察。

留學(xué)潮曾促使更多中國人口流入美國，他們在享受美國教育資源的同時(shí)，也增添了美國勞動力市場的活力。針對這種留學(xué)潮產(chǎn)生的影響，Katherine認(rèn)為其具有雙向性，并主要體現(xiàn)在人口流動方向和留學(xué)生熱門專業(yè)兩個(gè)領(lǐng)域。

一方面，赴美留學(xué)的中國學(xué)生和學(xué)者不再單向涌入美國，而是出現(xiàn)了回國潮。美國作為一個(gè)移民國家，匯聚了世界各民族人口，這極大地豐富了美國的文化多樣性?！拔业淖娓改篙呏挥幸蝗顺錾诿绹业恼煞蚴怯泼?，我的孩子們是英裔美國人，而這種組合在美國很常見。”Katherine接觸的中國學(xué)生中不少都是“第1.5代移民”，他們在很小的年紀(jì)來到美國，還有些在美國出生但仍根系中國文化。Katherine坦言：自己原以為中國學(xué)生希望復(fù)制這種移民經(jīng)歷，留學(xué)后便在美國當(dāng)?shù)匕l(fā)展。

但這種情況早已發(fā)生了變化。中國現(xiàn)在加大了在學(xué)術(shù)研究領(lǐng)域的資金投入，而美國同期卻在縮減投入。中國經(jīng)濟(jì)的飛速發(fā)展也為許多高學(xué)歷、高能力的人才提供了眾多機(jī)遇，因此許多在美國接受高等教育的學(xué)生、學(xué)者又返回到中國發(fā)展。不僅如此，許多美國學(xué)生也紛紛前往中國，將中國視為機(jī)會之鄉(xiāng)，尋求在科技、經(jīng)濟(jì)和教育等領(lǐng)域的發(fā)展?！拔覂鹤拥囊粋€(gè)好朋友現(xiàn)在就在北京的一所學(xué)校當(dāng)校長，我身邊的一些教授也選擇去中國進(jìn)行學(xué)術(shù)研究。”Katherine說道。

另一方面，留學(xué)專業(yè)熱點(diǎn)也由STEM逐漸轉(zhuǎn)移到了文科。Katherine觀察到，第一代中國移民由于受到父母辛勤勞作的濡染，通常具有很強(qiáng)烈的工作觀念，來自父輩生活的壓力使他們更愿意選擇STEM領(lǐng)域，因?yàn)檫@些學(xué)科在美國就業(yè)前景很好。但是到了第二代移民，學(xué)生會更傾向于探索戲劇、歷史、法律和藝術(shù)類專業(yè)，此時(shí)他們已經(jīng)較為美國化，比起上一代移民，他們更加適應(yīng)美國的主流文化和價(jià)值體系。他們的思想更為自由，愿意做一些帶有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的嘗試，比如從事無報(bào)酬但值得一試的工作領(lǐng)域。這些學(xué)生往往研究的是中國戲劇翻譯（David?Henry?Hwang），移民歷史（Mae?Ngai），或者在美國的中國團(tuán)體社會現(xiàn)狀（Margaret?Chin），這種轉(zhuǎn)變在美國的移民群體中很常見。

“我們目睹的留學(xué)潮具有雙面影響，這對于加深國際理解，提升經(jīng)濟(jì)流動性來說是一個(gè)良性發(fā)展。”

（本文由《留學(xué)》雜志合作伙伴麻州國際教育協(xié)助聯(lián)絡(luò)。）

Q=《留學(xué)》

A=Katherine

Q：您如何看待名校的光環(huán)效應(yīng)？

A：對于一個(gè)中國學(xué)生而言，入讀美國大學(xué)意味著面臨巨大的挑戰(zhàn)，比如大量的學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間、大量的金錢耗費(fèi)、以及家人們對海歸子女賺錢能力的期待等等。因此，中國的留學(xué)生家庭都追求他們在高等教育方面的投資能夠產(chǎn)生最大的產(chǎn)值。這些家庭身在遙遠(yuǎn)的海外，在選校的時(shí)候若沒有機(jī)會親自造訪并深入調(diào)研學(xué)校，參考排名就是一種快捷的方式。

排名是展現(xiàn)一個(gè)學(xué)校教育質(zhì)量的非常實(shí)用的數(shù)據(jù)，因此，我們對UMass近年來排名的快速提升感到非常驕傲。我們的進(jìn)步比幾乎所有其他的美國公立大學(xué)都要快，這提高了我們在世界范圍內(nèi)的吸引力，很多學(xué)生都認(rèn)為應(yīng)該把UMass作為自己的最終選擇。我們也在努力讓中國學(xué)生認(rèn)識到，我們提供的教育質(zhì)量有多高。不過，不論是我們還是其他學(xué)校從排名中“借了光”，我們都鼓勵(lì)中國學(xué)生盡可能廣泛地了解美國的諸多高等學(xué)府。

Q：您對好學(xué)生的定義是什么？

A：所謂好學(xué)生，指的就是對其所學(xué)抱有激情之人，這些人并不滿足于老師所直接教授的東西，而是自己主動地觀察現(xiàn)實(shí)，并積極提出不同看法。他們運(yùn)用自己學(xué)到的知識，向更高更深的層次邁進(jìn)。在課堂上，優(yōu)秀的美國學(xué)生總是在尊敬老師的同時(shí)，挑戰(zhàn)老師們的觀點(diǎn)，而不是被動地接受觀點(diǎn)，這種思考的獨(dú)立性為我們所贊賞。此外，好學(xué)生還要能夠流利地寫作、有說服力地闡述觀點(diǎn)、對其專業(yè)領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的知識有深刻的見解，并樂于在課業(yè)以外進(jìn)行思考和實(shí)踐。Umass擁有數(shù)千名來自世界各地的優(yōu)秀學(xué)生，我們感到非常幸運(yùn)。我們期待看到他們的成就。

Q：您如何看待分?jǐn)?shù)和考試？

A：考試分?jǐn)?shù)代表了學(xué)生綜合素質(zhì)的某些方面，但這些信息卻并不夠精確細(xì)致。分?jǐn)?shù)并不能代表一個(gè)學(xué)生的創(chuàng)造力和恒心，在衡量一個(gè)學(xué)生克服研究瓶頸的能力時(shí)，或衡量一個(gè)學(xué)生撰寫復(fù)雜論文的能力時(shí)，考試分?jǐn)?shù)很難說明問題。而這些能力又恰恰是在美國大學(xué)中取得成功的關(guān)鍵技能，這就意味著，一個(gè)學(xué)生可能分?jǐn)?shù)很好，但在他們真正參與到美國式課堂的時(shí)候卻感到非常困難。

Q：中國留學(xué)生傾向于選擇STEM專業(yè)和商科專業(yè)，對于文科專業(yè)關(guān)注相對較低，對此您的觀點(diǎn)是什么？

A：中國學(xué)生在理科方面的基礎(chǔ)非常好，這讓很多中國學(xué)生傾向于選擇STEM專業(yè)，我們并不覺得這是什么問題。不過，當(dāng)我們觀察來自中國的第二代移民時(shí)，會發(fā)現(xiàn)有更多人愿意學(xué)習(xí)藝術(shù)和人文專業(yè)，這些人的選擇體現(xiàn)了美國社會的同化和社會流動的進(jìn) 程。

我認(rèn)為，我們應(yīng)該為所有學(xué)生提供機(jī)會，讓他們追求發(fā)自內(nèi)心感興趣的東西。幸運(yùn)的是，我們的教育系統(tǒng)讓學(xué)生們得以嘗試不同的方向，并在不滿意的時(shí)候隨時(shí)改變。我本科學(xué)哲學(xué)專業(yè)，后來又輔修了社會學(xué)，在研究生階段，我又獲得了人類學(xué)的博士學(xué)位，后來到了法學(xué)院教書。我自己也算不上是“從一而終的乖孩子”?。?/p>

Q：如何避免專業(yè)扎堆，選擇真正適合自己的發(fā)展方向？

A：我一直在不斷嘗試新的研究命題，我本人仍然在不斷地改變“發(fā)展方向”。美國教育具有極大的靈活性，這讓我具有了打破常規(guī)的思考方式，而我希望其他人也具有相似的態(tài)度。當(dāng)然，對于那些立志于成為某些領(lǐng)域的專家，希望精益求精地鉆研某些問題的人，我也是充滿尊敬的。美國教育認(rèn)為，不存在什么唯一正確的發(fā)展方向，而這是美國教育最偉大的品質(zhì)之一。

Katherine?S.?Newman：

Higher?Education?for?the?Public

Translator：?Valley?&?Gao?Hang

After?many?years?of?teaching?in?the?Ivy?League，?Katherine?Newman?finally?chooses?to?return?to?public?education.?Her?aims?are?clear：?to?develop?public?education?in?the?United?States?and?to?benefit?more?students?from?ordinary?families.

The?first?glance?at?Katherine?S.?Newmans?CV?can?be?very?impressing，?with?so?many?titles?of?professors?in?Harvard，?Columbia?and?Princeton?University，?etc.?However，?given?many?years?of?experience?in?such?top?academic?institutions?of?the?United?States，?what?has?long?been?exciting?for?Katherine?is?actually?developing?public?education?in?the?US.

As?one?of?the?beneficiaries?of?USs?public?education，?Katherine?attributes?all?her?success?to?this?system.?Now?she?hopes?she?can?return?to?public?education?and?make?some?feedback.?By?promoting?the?development?of?public?education，?she?dreams?to?create?more?opportunities?for?the?youths?from?lower?classes.?Katherine?chose?University?of?Massachusetts?Amherst?（UMass?Amherst）?as?the?beginning?of?her?way?to?realize?the?dream.?She?is?the?Provost?and?Senior?Vice?Chancellor?for?Academic? Affairs.

Driven?by?personal?experience

Devoted?to?public?education

Born?in?an?ordinary?family?in?California，?Katherine?could?not?afford?expensive?private?education?when?she?was?young.?Since?primary?school，?Katherine?had?started?to?enjoy?the?public?education?system，?which?is?well-developed?in?California.?She?later?graduated?from?University?of?California?San?Diego?and?completed?her?PhD?research?in?University?of?California，?Berkeley.?After?that，?she?spent?long?time?teaching?at?various?universities?of?Ivy?League.

For?decades，?Katherine?has?enjoyed?a?brilliant?fame?of?professor?and?sociologist.?But?when?planning?for?the?future，?she?found?that?something?is?missing.?The?experience?in?top?private?academic?institutions?is?no?doubt?precious，?but?her?wish?to?contribute?in?public?education?has?by?no?means?faded.?Benefited?much?from?it，?Katherine?is?eager?to?go?back?to?our?public?higher?education.?She?plans?to?take?her?position?in?public?education?as?an?opportunity?to?make?my?contribution?to?the?growth?of?our?later?generation.

As?a?sociologist，?Katherine?has?long?been?interested?in?questions?of?social?mobility?and?the?opportunity?structure?of?American?society.?She?thinks?university?education?is?one?of?the?great?drivers?of?upward?mobility?in?our?society.?The?upward?mobility?refers?to?the?capacity?of?a?person?to?rise?above?the?position?they?were?born?to?and?reach?the?experience?of?climbing?up?the?occupational?ladder?and?being?able?to?earn?a?higher?income?than?their?parents?do.?Education?plays?a?critical?role?in?this?process.?“I?noticed?that?especially?now，?the?very?best?jobs?in?both?our?countries?are?going?to?the?people?who?are?well-educated?and?have?high?level?of?social?skill.?“?In?60?years?ago，?it?was?possible?for?someone?to?make?a?pretty?good?living?if?you?are?a?strong?person?who?can?work?on?the?assembly?line，?and?they?can?get?a?fairly?good?salary.?But?today，?the?best?jobs?really?go?to?the??well-educated?people，?so?the?education?system?and?the?access?to?it?is?very?important?in?determining?where?people?end?up?in?their?adult?lives.

During?her?days?in?Harvard?and?Columbia，?Katherine?has?found?that?although?many?of?her?students?in?these?private?schools?were?from?humble?families，?the?majority?of?students?in?private?universities?nationwide?come?from?more?affluent?households.?This?made?Katherine?think?that?the?real?action?for?anyone?interested?in?changing?the?course?of?a?generation's?life?chances?might?be?in?the?public?universities，?where?students?often?come?from?more?modest?backgrounds?and?are?striving?for?the?chance?to?improve?on?the?experience?of?previous?generations.?“That?was?true?for?me?as?a?young?student，?so?I?know?how?important?higher?education?is?in?opening?up?possibilities?in?life”?says?Katherine.

Such?personal?experience?leads?Katherine?to?set?up?her?goal?as?progressing?the?development?of?public?higher?education.?When?Katherine?began?taking?leadership?roles?in?UMass?Amherst，?a?reputable?public?university?with?a?long?tradition，?she?recognized?that?it?was?possible?to?combine?her?academic?interest?and?moral?commitments?to?enhance?employment?opportunity?for?the?people?from?the?bottom?of?the?society?with?action?as?an?administrator.

Cooperate?with?China：?International?Programs?and? Onl

Katherine?chooses?UMass?Amherst?not?only?because?it?is?one?of?the?outstanding?public?researching?house?in?the?United?States，?but?also?because?the?leadership?of?UMass?Amherst?have?persistence?on?the?idea?of?public?education.?Katherine?said?she?was?impressed?by?the?talented?and?devoted?leaders?of?UMass?Amherst.?They?build?pathways?for?younger??generations?to?realize?their?dreams.

As?an?administrator，?Katherine?can?now?design?programs?to?reach?out?to?young?people?from?low?income?families，?provide?financial?support?and?academic?opportunity?to?them.?Katherine?knows?very?well?that?even?when?similar?in?quality，?private?universities?charge?much?more?tuition?fees?than?the?public?ones.?“The?annual?cost?of?education?at?the?University?of?Massachusetts?at?Amherst?is?about?$23，000?including?the?cost?of?housing.?At?Johns?Hopkins，?where?I?worked?before，?that?price?is?about?$62，000?a?year”.?Mainly?funded?by?state?purse，?public?universities?are?usually?more?affordable?for?students.

For?the?next?step，?UMass?Amherst?will?deepen?its?engagement?in?China.?What?Katherine?plans?for?most?is?the?opportunity?for?UMass?undergraduate?students?to?spend?time?studying?in?China，?either?in?Chinese?universities?or?in?cooperative?programs?that?link?instructors?from?some?of?the?best?universities?in?the?country?with?UMass?faculty?to?develop?courses?together，?which?will?enable?UMass?students?and?Chinese?students?to?study?together.??These?courses?could?be?on?Chinese?history，?the?built?environment，?agriculture，?science，?and?any?number?of?other?topics.?She?would?like?to?build?opportunities?to?bring?more?Chinese?students?to?UMass.??As?to?what?Katherine?introduced，?there?are?several?hundred?students?a?year?who?study?as?regular?residential?students?and?take?their?undergraduate?degrees?in?UMass?Amherst.??There?are??also?have?a?significant?number?of?Chinese?students?in?UMass?Amherst's?Masters?degree?programs，?especially?in?STEM?fields.?However，?Katherine?would?like?to?extend?this?paradigm?to?something?genuinely?new?and?innovative?that?might?enable?more?Chinese?Masters'?degree?students?who?cannot?afford?many?years?of?study?on?campus?in?America?to?join?for?advanced?degrees，?especially?in?Engineering，?Computer?Science，?Economics，?Education，?English?as?a?second?language，?etc.??These?visiting?students?might?be?able?to?come?to?America?for?a?summer?or??two，?and?in?the?year?in?between?they?can??take?courses?that?are?a?blend?of?online?education?（which?is?huge?in?the?US?and?on?UMass?Amherst?campus）?and?project?based?work?“on?the?ground”?in?their?home?communities?in?China.

Another?thing?Katherine?wants?to?pioneer?is?the?online?education?in?translation，?especially?in?Mandarin，?as?a?supplement?to?“face-to-face”?instruction?in?English.??UMass?Amherst?has?an?outstanding?Translation?Center?that?can?prepare?reading?materials?and?can?assist?with?simultaneous?translation.?This?would?open?up?more?advanced?degree?programs?to?Chinese?students?who?may?not?be?fluent?enough?in?English?to?take?an?entire?degree?or?those?who?lack?the?financial?resources?to?live?in?the?US?for?two?or?three?years.

“Two?Way?Street”?Effect：?Desire?to?Go?Back?and?Changing?Majors

As?a?renowned?scholar?of?sociology，?Katherine?has?her?own?observation?on?the?recent?upsurge?of?Chinese?students?studying?in?the?U.S.?from?the?sociological?point?of?view.

The?upsurge?of?Chinese?students?studying?in?the?U.S.?infuses?more?people?into?American?society.?They?share?the?education?while?bring?the?dynamics?to?the?American?labor?market.?Katherine?regards?it?as?a?“Two?Way?Street”，?which?mainly?shows?two?changes?of?aspects，?one?is?the?mobility?direction，?the?other?is?hot?subjects.

America?is?truly?a?nation?of?immigrants?where?all?of?these?kinds?of?students?come?and?add?to?the?cultural?vitality.?“Only?one?of?my?grandparents?was?born?in?the?United?States?and?I'm?the?norm?in?the?US.?My?husband?is?an?immigrant?and?hence?my?children?are?British-Americans.?”?Katherine?has?taught?students?born?and?raised?in?China，?students?who?came?to?the?US?when?they?were?young?and?hence?are?what?we?call?"1.5?generation"?immigrants，?and?students?of?Chinese?descent?who?were?born?and?raised?in?the?US?but?remain?attached?to?their?heritage.

"I?think?as?well?that?many?Chinese?students?hope?to?repeat?the?immigration?experience?that?my?own?family?had?because?they?want?to?seek?opportunities?in?our?labor?market.??But?much?of?this?is?changing?now.?"?China?is?pouring?money?into?state?of?the?art?scientific?laboratories，??for?example，?precisely?at?the?time?when?the?US?government?is?cutting?back.?China's?economic?growth?is?providing?opportunities?for?its?own?citizens?and?that?trajectory?encourages?many?high?skilled?professionals?to?stay?in?their?own?country?and?others?who?have?been?educated?in?the?US?to?return?to?China.?Indeed，?many?American?students?look?upon?China?as?a?new?land?of?opportunity?in?science，?finance，?and?education?and?are?moving?there?to?seek?their?fortunes.?This?is?one?reason?why?there?is?a?surge?in?demand?in?affluent?American?suburbs?for?Mandarin?to?be?taught?as?a?foreign?language?starting?in?elementary?school.??“One?of?my?younger?son's?best?friends?from?high?school?is?now?a?school?principal?in?Beijing.?Others?have?spent?years?teaching?English?in?China.?Faculty?I?have?known?from?my?previous?jobs?have?moved?to?China?to?continue?their?careers?in?these?fields.”

First?generation?Americans?of?Chinese?descent?has?often?been?raised?by?parents?who?also?had?to?work?very?hard?to?get?to?our?shores?and?hence?instilled?in?their?children?a?very?strong?work?ethic.?They?have?a?deserved?reputation?for?being?devoted?to?their?studies.?Often?a?pragmatic?orientation?guides?both?kinds?of?students?which?means?they?gravitate?toward?the?STEM?fields，?where?opportunities?are?abundant?in?the?US，?where?mathematical?skill?is?rewarded?and?language?skill?is?not?as?critical.?Second?generation?students?are?often?freer?to?explore?fields?like?drama，?history，?law，?and?the?arts?because?they?have?become?more?Americanized?and?affluent.?They?have?more?freedom，?from?an?economic?standpoint，?to?branch?out?into?fields?that?are?a?bit?riskier?and?perhaps?not?as?well?remunerated，?but?are?nonetheless?valued.?It?is?these?students?who?often?become?the?translators?of?the?Chinese?experience?through?plays?（e.g?David?Henry?Hwang）??the?history?of?immigration?（e.g?Mae?Ngai）?or?the?contemporary?sociological?situation?of?Chinese?communities?in?America?（Margaret?Chin）.?This?is?not?an?unusual?pattern?in?the?US.?We?see?it?in?immigrant?groups.

“So?we?are?seeing?a?'two?way?street'?now.?I?think?that's?a?very?healthy?development?for?international?understanding?and?economic?mobility.”

Q=Studying?Abroad

A=Katherine?S.?Newman

Q：?Whats?your?perspective?on?the?halo?of?top?universities?and?rankings？

A：?The?difficulties?involved?in?making?it?to?a?US?university?--?the?many?hours?of?studying，?the?costs?involved，?the?desires?of?Chinese?families?to?benefit?from?the?earning?power?of?foreign?trained?sons?and?daughters?--?are?so?significant?that?it?is?little?wonder?that?these?families?are?looking?to?derive?the?greatest?advantage?they?can?from?the?investment?in?higher?education.?They?are?also?far?away?from?the?US?when?they?make?decisions?about?where?to?go?to?university.??Rankings?are?a?kind?of?shorthand，?especially?for?people?who?don't?have?the?opportunity?to?visit?a?foreign?country?and?learn?about?the?thousands?of?academic?institutions?available?to?them.

Rankings?are?useful?signals?and，?as?a?result，?we?are?very?proud?of?how?the?ranking?of?UMass?Amherst?has?shot?up?in?recent?years.??Our?"uptick"?has?been?faster?than?almost?any?other?public?university?in?the?US.??That?helps?us?get?the?word?out?around?the?world?that?students?should?consider?UMass?Amherst?as?a?"destination?of?choice"?and?we?are?increasing?our?effort?to?let?students?in?China?know?about?what?a?great?education?they?can?get?here.?But?whether?we?are?the?institutional?beneficiaries?or?some?other?（competitor）?reaps?that?benefit，?we?encourage?students?in?China?to?learn?as?much?as?possible?about?the?wide?range?of?institutions?of?higher?learning?in?the?US.

Q：?Whats?your?definition?of?a?good?student？

A：?Good?students?are?those?with?a?passion?for?what?they?are?studying，?who?are?not?content?just?to?master?what?their?instructors?put?in?front?of?them，?but?who?are?driven?to?make?original?observations?and?offer?contrary?perspectives.??They?use?what?they?learn?to?take?the?inquiry?to?the?next?level.??American?students?who?are?exceptional?often?see?their?role?in?the?classroom?as?one?of?（respectfully）?challenging?their?teachers'?ideas，?rather?than?to?receive?them?in?a?passive?fashion.?We?reward?them?for?that?independence?of?thinking.??Good?students?are?fluent?writers，?persuasive?speakers，?deeply?knowledgeable?about?their?fields?of?expertise，?and?excited?to?go?beyond?the?assignment.?We?are?fortunate?to?have?thousands?of?excellent?students?at?UMass?Amherst?from?all?over?the?world?and?we?look?forward?to?their?accomplishments?both?when?they?are?with?us?and?when?they?graduate.

Q：?Whats?your?perspective?on?exams?and?scores？

A：?Test?scores?represent?one?kind?of?information?about?a?student's?qualifications，?but?they?are?not?very?nuanced.??They?can't?really?provide?information?about?a?student's?creativity，?or?persistence.?They?are?not?particularly?helpful?in?estimating?how?well?a?student?could?master?a?research?challenge?or?write?a?lengthy?and?complex?essay.??These?skills?really?matter?for?success?in?American?universities，?but?standardized?tests?are?only?approximations?of?them.?This?can?mean，?on?occasion，?that?a?student?whose?scores?make?them?look?very?promising，?struggle?when?they?actually?enroll?in?an?American-style?classes.

Q：?Business?and?STEM?majors?are?the?most?popular?majors?among?Chinese?students，?whereas?arts?and?humanities?are?not?as?popular.?Whats?your?view?on? this？

A：?It?is?easy?to?understand?how?prior?--?very?strong?--?preparation?in?scientific?fields?leads?many?of?our?Chinese?students?to?pursue?STEM?fields?and?that's?fine.?When?we?look?at?second?generation?immigrants?from?Chinese?backgrounds，?we?find?more?students?in?the?arts?and?humanities.?These?choices?reflect?sociological?processes?of?assimilation?and?mobility.

I?do?think?that?what?we?should?want?most?for?all?students?is?the?opportunity?to?pursue?what?genuinely?interests?them.???Fortunately，?our?educational?system?enables?students?to?try?out?different?directions?and?change?if?they?aren't?satisfied.??As?a?undergraduate，?I?was?a?philosophy?major，?then?added?on?sociology.?When?I?got?to?graduate?school，?I?completed?a?PhD?in?anthropology.??Then?I?taught?in?a?law?school.??I?am?not?a?"poster?child"?for?consistency！

Q：?Can?you?give?some?advice?to?Chinese?students?with?regard?to?choosing?a?major?that?best?fits?them？

A：?My?somewhat?restless?approach?is?still?visible?in?the?changing?topics?that?I?write?about.Unlike?many?other?scholars，?who?become?experts?in?one?topic?and?develop?deeper?and?deeper?levels?of?expertise?in?an?identifiable?subfield，?I?move?around?（even?if?there?are?some?common?themes）.??I?like?to?think?the?flexibility?of?my?American?education?prepared?me?to?think?in?"out?of?the?box"?ways?and?I?hope?others?will?have?that?latitude?as?well.?There?is?no?single?proper?path?and?that?is?one?of?the?great?virtues?of?American?education.